Small Bowel Cancers

The small bowel is about 6 metres long and is made up of three parts including the duodenum (top part), jejunum (middle part) and ileum (last part).

It plays an important role in digesting food and absorbing vital nutrients from it.

The most common type of small bowel tumour is an adenocarcinoma, which arises in the glands lining it. Neuroendocrine (carcinoid) tumours are the next most common type and arise from hormone-producing cells. Other types of small bowel tumours include lymphomas (originating from lymph glands), sarcomas, and secondary cancers that have spread to the small bowel from other tumours.

Symptoms

These are very non-specific and can include abdominal pain, bloating, sickness and diarrhoea. Diagnosing small bowel cancer is difficult because the small bowel is a difficult part of the intestines to examine. Depending on the type of small bowel cancer, treatments can include surgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy, and biological treatments.